The 'Frozen' actress opens up on her difficult childhood as she grew up being bullied and nearly abandoned her passion for singing because of the unpleasant experience.
- Aug 22, 2023
AceShowbiz - Idina Menzel was unsure if she wanted to pursue a singing career after being bullied as a child. The 52-year-old star is famous for having originated the role of Elphaba in the smash-hit Broadway musical "Wicked" and for providing the voice of Elsa in Disney's "Frozen" franchise but revealed that she was "always torn" over her love for singing and the bullying she endured when she got on stage.
"There was a young girl who never liked me. She liked to sing as well but wasn't getting the same attention as me. The more compliments I received the more she hated me. I was always torn between my love for singing and the bullying I would endure when I chose to be seen," she told The Times.
Meanwhile, the "Move" songstress follows the Jewish religion and went on to reveal that the first book to "have an impact" on her was "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank - who kept a record of her time in hiding from the Nazis during World War II before eventually being caught and dying in a concentration camp at the age of 15 - as she noted that the historical classic gave her an "understanding" of her faith.
Idina - who has 13-year-old son Walker with ex-husband Taye Diggs - said, "The Diary of Anne Frank' was the first book that made an impact on me. At an early age my parents would talk about the Holocaust, wanting me to have an understanding of the Jewish experience."
"As a parent, I often wrestle with what age is appropriate for children to be exposed to the hatred in the world. When do I protect my son's innocence? When do I have the real conversations?"
